Hiking FAQ
GEAR HIRE & ORDER DELIVERY
In short, a booked departure date, some hiking gear, and three days’ worth of food. The booking part’s easy: go to the Three Capes Track official website (there’s also a link at the top of our home page) and click “book now”. While you’re there you can check out the Tasmania Parks and Wildlife Service (PWS) packing list, and then head back here and have a look at our Gear List (we’re just a little leaner and lighter than our friends at PWS). Last, you need to sort food for the trip.
Another two part answer. You can always trim on food weight by carrying nothing but freeze-dried and dehydrated stuff – but you’re on holidays, staying in places where you’ll want to sit outdoors and enjoy the view, so think hard before ditching all thought of fresh things (such as fruit) and treats (but do keep in mind that fresh things and treats tend to be heavy). So to part two: fight every impulse you have to pack extra clothing (spare socks and undies are our only “extra” recommendations). Seriously, one set (top and bottom) of quality merino thermals as a base layer might be the best investment you ever make. Put them on at the start of the walk and take them off at the end. They dry fast if they get damp and they don’t get smelly. Use them as your cabin outfit. Will you look a bit weird wandering around the cabin in your thermals? Nope. You’ll have plenty of friends dressed the same way.
Make sure you have something with which to take photographs – a camera or smartphone (there are USB-A and -C charging points in the huts – but not 240v power outlets). And seeing as you’re carting along your phone, pick up some apps that will help you identify Tasmanian wildlife, birds and plants. We’d strongly suggest you take a book, especially if you’re walking during the long-daylight hours of summer and have lovely lingering evenings to sit outside and relax. If marine mammals are your thing, a lightweight pair of binoculars will come in handy. It’s a long, long way from the clifftops to the ocean and hot spots such as seal haul-outs.
We’re based at Port Arthur and we deliver orders free of charge to the Port Arthur Historic Site (PAHS, the Three Capes Track’s start and end point) and to accommodation addresses within a few kilometres of PAHS – basically anywhere in the Port Arthur/Carnarvon Bay area, and as far north as the Port Arthur Lavender Farm.
Gear & food order delivery
As you’ll see on our checkout page, delivery options are…
If you’ve hired gear, delivery will take 10–30 minutes – depending on the size of your group and complexity of needs. We’ll make sure you know how to use the gear and give you some packing tips (and help, if you’re at PAHS).
Gear return
We’ll collect your hire gear at PAHS at either 3pm or 4:30pm – depending on which bus you’ve booked out of Fortescue Bay (they depart Fortescue at 2:30pm and 4pm daily). If you’ve left baggage at accommodation in Hobart we’ll give you a (compostable) bin liner to put your stuff in for the trip back to Hobart.
Because we so rarely have any issues with lost or damaged gear, we’ve elected not to take deposits for hire equipment. We do ask that you inform us if you’ve lost or (knowingly) damaged gear, or if a hire item has failed (see next FAQ).
Hire costs are designed to cover five nights – notionally from the night before your departure, through three nights on the track, and covering a night after you’ve completed the walk (if necessary). If you’d like to keep gear longer – for instance if you’re planning some additional travel/camping – we charge a fee of 10% of the total hire price per additional night. For example, if you hire a rucksack and down sleeping bag the total hire price for five nights is $119.50; extra nights would be $11.95/night.
If any item of gear you’ve hired is lost we’ll discuss it with you upon your return (which is why it’s terrific if you self-report). Usually for lost items we’ll charge you the manufacturer’s recommended retail price of the item less the cost of hire. We’ll inform you of the final price before taking payment.
It’s worthwhile saying that the most commonly lost items are small – for instance cutlery from mess kits, or stuff sacks for sleeping bag liners – and the replacement costs typically fairly modest.
You’re hiring hiking gear and we know it’s going to cop routine wear and tear – contact points on rucksacks will abrade, clothing wears out and sleeping bag zips eventually fail. The only things that catch our attention are return items damaged to the point of being unusable (which is unusual, but not unknown), or which require specialist cleaning services (down sleeping bags can’t just be thrown in a home machine with the socks and undies). As with lost gear, we really appreciate you self-reporting any damaged gear – we’d rather discuss it with you at the time than discover it later. If the situation merits it we reserve the right to charge you for repairs, cleaning or replacement.
You can. A few things worth asking to help you decide: how long has Uncle Bob had his sleeping bag, what’s its weight and volume, and what’s the lowest temperature it’s supposed to keep you warm? Like most things, camping technology has improved over the years, and although it’s not quite the microchip rule – double the power, half the size – sleeping bags have gotten smaller and lighter for the same relative warmth. Most modern sleeping bags also have a comfort rating based on the EN13537 Test.
Yes, but depending on what you’re planning to do we may have some limitations. Because we’re focused on the Three Capes we don’t have a great range of gear for independent walkers – for instance, no tents, sleeping mats and hiking stoves, and only a few rucksacks with capacity over 60L. Best idea is to call before placing an order to discuss your needs.
ORDERS & PAYMENTS
We have an online credit card payment system hosted by Paypal, through which we accept payment on Visa, MasterCard and Amex. You don’t need a Paypal account to pay via this system. We also have a Commbank point-of-sale (POS) system that allows us to take payments over the phone (or in person)
Once you’ve chosen your gear and food and checked your rucksack you’ll click through to our checkout page. There you’ll be asked to enter billing details and delivery (and return, if you hire gear) dates and times (it’s okay if you don’t have travel details finalised – we’ll get them later). Once that’s done and you’ve read and accepted out Terms and Conditions, you’ll click through to a secure Paypal payment page to complete the transaction, or you’ll select the “pay by phone” option. If you choose pay by phone, we’ll call you after we’ve processed your order to take payment.
We prefer you to use the online payment option because it’s easier for us to make adjustments to your order (for instance delete items, or give you a refund).
It’s best to place gear orders as far in advance of your departure date as possible. This gives you the best chance of getting the correct sizes of hire gear you want, and also gives us time to solve problems if anything’s an issue.
Generally speaking orders for food only don’t require as much lead time – ideally we like to have them about a week in advance.
You can always place additional orders for the same walk, and there’s no charge for placing a last-minute order with those final couple of things on it – we’ll collate the various orders and pack them all for the one delivery to you.
We can take orders right up to the day before your departure, but if it’s that late make sure you phone first. And if your order includes gear, be prepared for the fact that some might items might not be available, especially during peak holiday times.
Absolutely! You’ll find our mail-order site is here: https://3capesgearandgourmet.com.au/mail-order/
Note that we only mail-order food and “for sale” gear items (not hire gear), and that we can’t send all the yummy add-ons we include with in-person food orders (such as shaved parmesan, fresh veg, tortillas etc).
Most, but not all, of our food items are available for mail order – you’ll notice the difference if you toggle between the mail order and hiking sites. Mail-order exceptions include such things as fresh fruit, tortillas and first night fab meals. But most camping meals and treats are available for taking on a non-Tasmanian adventure (send us pics!).
ABOUT TURRAKANA/TASMAN PENINSULA
The Three Capes Track starts and ends at the Port Arthur Historic Site (PAHS). There are three main accommodation options within 10 minutes’ walk of PAHS: Stewarts Bay Lodge, Port Arthur Villas and Port Arthur Motor Inn. Slightly further away to the north are the Fox and Hounds Historic Hotel and NRMA Holiday Park. There are a number of AirBnBs in the area, many a little further than walking distance from PAHS.
There are two morning bus services from Hobart to Port Arthur: Pennicott Wilderness Journeys, which departs daily at 7:45am, and Grayline (Sunday–Friday at 8:45am). Grayline also operates a Saturday service at 4pm. Both services run via Hobart Airport.
There are several other options.
Tasman Peninsula Airport & Local Transfers take bookings for pickups from the airport – $240 for up to 4 passengers.
And, even on our fair isle, Uber exists and – unless you’re arriving in the middle of the night – they’re generally available for the trip. Often a good option for small groups arriving at bus-unfriendly times.
Larger groups of walkers might consider hiring a car or minibus and parking at the dedicated Three Capes Track carpark at PAHS; depending on the season and number of passengers, costs can be comparable to other transport modes.
If you don’t have a car there’s a local taxi service – Tasman Peninsula Airport & Local Transfers.
FOOD THINGS
), one for vegetarian ( 
), and one for vegan (
). They’re displayed with meals as appropriate. We’re always looking to expand our offering of meals so if you have any suggestions for gluten-free, vegetarian and vegan meals we’d love to hear them.We’ll have a look at your order and if we’re worried that you haven’t packed enough food, we’ll get in touch. You’ll be doing a fair bit of exercise, so night-time meals are designed to be hearty, without leaving you too much rubbish to carry out. And has there ever been a better time for trying leftovers for breakfast? Remember: what happens on the Track, stays on the Track.
Because you haven’t told us what it is yet! Let us know – we’re always up for trying new delicious things …
Some camping innovator’s idea of a funniest home videos joke. A spork combines a spoon, a knife and a fork in one often strangely coloured implement. On the plus side it saves on washing up, but consider this: you want porridge and a piece of toast and Vegemite for breakfast. Which end would you like to hold?
Essentially, whatever you carry in and don’t eat, you carry out. But it’s good news after that. To the extent it’s possible, we package food to minimise garbage – and weight. If you hire one of our backpacks, we give you a waste sack for garbage storage so the pack and your stuff don’t get manky. Theoretically the manky factor is low because you’re allowed to leave ‘wet’ waste – such as most uneaten food – in fly-out tanks at the huts (but note that ‘hard’ leftovers – think bones out of steaks – have to be carried out). We urge you to recycle as much as possible at the end of the walk. We recycle all food, glass, paper and soft-plastic waste that’s created by our food-making operations, and all paper and tech waste produced through running our office.
OTHER RANDOM STUFF
You should carry as little as possible: the less weight
you’re lugging, the happier you’ll be. Follow the advice on this and the
Three Capes Track websites and you’ll likely end up with a total load of
about 10–12kg, including 1.5–2L of water.
How much you can carry is a beloved subject of hikers. The
long-time rule of thumb is to carry no more than a third of your
bodyweight, but let’s leave that where it belongs – probably somewhere
mid last century, as far as technology goes. Enter various lightweight
fabrics, hiking stoves etc and these days even multi-day, independent
walkers aim for a total pack weight of no more than 25 per cent of their
body weight – and much less if they can manage it.
Taking these things together, a 10–12kg backpack is going to be well
below the 25 per cent bodyweight mark for most Three Capes walkers. And
that’s a happy outcome.
By dressing appropriately for the conditions. You’ll have packed according to the rules of layering (keep reading) and it’ll go pretty much as you’d expect. If the weather turns cold – which it may, any time of year – you’ll wear more layers, and less if it’s warm. It’s a good idea to always keep your raincoat near the top of your backpack as an easy-to-access windproof layer.
Ian believes that somewhere, sometime in the outdooriverse, someone said: “There is no bad weather, only bad preparation”. Most often these days it’s cited as an old Scandanavian saying. Whatever. Take it to mean that you’ll have more fun on an outdoor trip if you dress appropriately. You need clothes that keep you dry if it rains, warm if it’s cold and cool if it’s hot. The things you choose should be comfortable, light, hard-wearing and easy to wash. And – seeing as you’ve got to carry it – you want as few items of clothing as possible. Enter the concept of layering …
If you dress in multiple light layers you’re able to adapt to a greater range of conditions. You can add or remove layers depending on the weather and the effort you’re putting in. If conditions demand, you should be able to wear all of your layers in comfort. The three principal layers are base, insulation and outer.
The base, or foundation, layer contacts the skin, which it keeps dry by wicking away moisture. It should be lightweight and quick-drying; merino wool, silk and synthetics including polypropylene are the regular choices. Cotton isn’t a good insulator; it gets clingy when wet and takes longer to dry – save it for in the huts.
The insulation layer is meant to keep you warm. It should keep cold air out and redistribute moisture wicked from the base layer – partly by absorbing it and partly by letting it evaporate. A couple of lighter insulation layers are probably better than a single thicker layer, but don’t get too hung up on this. Popular choices include fleece, down and wool.
The outer layer is there to protect you from wind and rain (and snow, if that’s the climate you’re tackling). The go-to choice for outer wear is garments made with a waterproof/breathable microporous membrane such as Gore-tex, eVent, Reflex (and many others).
Two part answer. During the day, you’ll put on your raincoat if rain starts to fall. If it doesn’t fall too hard and your raincoat is decent you’ll stay pretty much dry. If it rains really hard and for an extended period, even with a decent raincoat you might end a bit damp around the neck, sleeves and ankles/knees – but you’ll dry out fast once the weather clears or you’re indoors. And thus part two of the answer: you’ll stay dry at night because you’re in a fabulous modern hut. Snuggle up and listen to the rain on the roof.
Only if you try really, really, really hard. The track is wide and clear and the signs are large. Quite a few other people – up to 47, to be exact – will be walking at the same time as you. And then there’s the expert host ranger, a veritable Tasmania Parks and Wildlife Service font of knowledge, at each hut. If still in doubt, keep the ocean on your right and you’ll be fine.
Stuff sack
It’s a drawstring bag. For putting… stuff… in. Can’t you just tumble it all into your backpack? Gail has no idea, though she does like that a stuff sack keeps her socks and undies all snuggling together somewhere warm and dry and that they’re easy to find. Ian believes in stuff sacks the way some people believe in Vitamin C. He thinks that hiking, ski-touring and bicycle touring are made easier and happier by a small investment in nylon or Cordura bags. So why wouldn’t you?
Scroggin, aka trail mix, aka Gorp.
Scroggin, or scrog (says Ian), is the name that’s stuck at our house for the hiker’s favourite mix of dried fruits, nuts, seeds and a couple of secret sugary extras. It’s often called trail mix on commercial packets, while others call it gorp (“good ol’ raisins and peanuts” or “granola, oats, raisins, peanuts”).
Gail used to think it was the kind of thing odd people wearing waterproof or breathable shorts, socks that wick and ankle boots ate as they tackled their next perilous mountain. But she’s been converted by Ian’s secret special mix.
Spondonickle
Strictly you don’t need to know this one, but’s it’s fun to say three times fast. If you were also carrying your own cooking stuff then every gram counts (Ian knows people who have drilled holes in their cutlery handles to reduce a gram or two – at least he says it’s someone he knows…). A spondonickle – or ‘spondy’ for those in the know – is like a portable handle for camping pots so that instead of carrying the weight and non-tessallating shape of pots with handles you take some neat handleless ones, and a spondy.
See “How will I stay warm?”, above.
Tassie runs on Australian Eastern Standard Time (UTC + 10 hours) from the first Sunday in April to the first Sunday in October, and Australian Eastern Daylight Time (UTC + 11 hours) at other times. Same time as Sydney, Canberra and Melbourne. But not Brisbane, from October to April.
34 Forest Road
West Hobart TAS 7000,
AUSTRALIA
PHONE: 03 6234 4918
MOBILE: 0468 343 244
EMAIL: info@3cgg.com.au
Gluten Free
Vegetarian
Vegan
